Falmouth, Mass.
1895
July 20
(no 3)
several Savanna and Vesper Sparrows and a little family party
of four Meadow Larks. Two or three King Birds were perched
on finer posts, as many Barn Swallows were coming down
over the stubble and a flock of Red-Wings, nearly all young
birds, were whirling about. The cool, sweet south-west wind
swept these fields unceasingly.
  About the shores of the fresh water pond Song Sparrows were
singing freely and two Kingfishers were chasing one another
up and down, back & forth, past & over the belt of tupelos
on my right.
  The "Blackbird Swamp", when I first reached it about an
hour before sunset, was literally swarming with Robins, Warblers
and Red-wings and several Yellow Warblers were singing there.
Both Robins & Red-wings were singing loudly in great
numbers, perched on the tops of the white cedars and the
flash and flicker of wings was incessant as the birds flew
from branch to branch or pitched down from the air above.
I returned to the place later in the evening in search
of the little Black Spaniel whom I had lost there (he was
bitten by something, perhaps a snake, and ran away afterwards
turning up in an exhausted condition at a distant barn) and
found the Blackbirds going to roost among the cedars and
the flight of roosting Robins warring as the last birds shot
in low down across the bushy pasture. A Barn Swallow came
past me within a few yards & I am positive that he
alighted among the cedars as I should have seen him against
the sky had he passed over them. A Green Heron also
came in & alighted. Thus at least five species came to
this place expressly to roost besides the Yellow Warblers, Song
Sparrows & Maryland Yellow-throats which live there.
[margin]The bird roost
at "Blackbird
Swamp"[/margin]
  As I crossed the fields on my way home in the twilight a Nighthawk
was skimming close over the turf whisking & turning when the Swallow had
been coursing earlier in the day.